Anybody’s game in AFF Suzuki Cup

MANILA, Philippines - Azkals striker Phil Younghusband sees a virtually open race for the plum in the AFF Suzuki Cup group stages co-hosted by Thailand and Malaysia on Nov. 24-30.

The Azkals are stacked in Group A with Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar, which some quarters regard as the “group of death” but Younghusband said the other group (Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Laos) is equally tough.

“Among the eight teams, anyone can beat anyone. Whether we drew Vietnam or Thailand, whether we drew Indonesia or Malaysia, I think both groups are tough. I don’t see one group more difficult than the other,” the Fil-British forward said.

The Azkals will go into the tournament as the second highest ranked Southeast Asian team in the Fifa world ranking at a personal-best 143rd, behind Vietnam (138th) and ahead of erstwhile No. 1 Thailand (152nd). But the team prefers to downplay their ranking in the actual battle for Asean supremacy. 

“I don’t think world ranking will really make a difference on the day of the match. It depends on the team you will bring. Sometimes we have players available who can play teams in the high 100s, sometimes we don’t. So I don’t think ranking will really matter,” he said.

“But psychologically, it does show the progress of Phl football,” he added.

Phil and his brother James  are back in the Azkals fold after not getting a call-up when the team competed and ruled the Philippine Football Peace Cup last September due to “commitment issues.” They rejoined the team in their Middle East camp last month, with Phil scoring in their 1-2 loss to Kuwait.

“ We’ve already spoken to boss Dan (Palami) and coach (Michael) Weiss. It’s a matter of communication. Me and James will make sure we communicate on even more detailed level as communication is important. Everything’s in the past now and we look forward to the future and rise of Phl football,” Younghusband said.